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1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.13 Proofreading Tips Everyone Should Knowhttps://conveycommsagency.com/2020/05/25/3-proofreading-tips-everyone-should-know/
https://conveycommsagency.com/2020/05/25/3-proofreading-tips-everyone-should-know/#respondMon, 25 May 2020 09:26:00 +0000https://conveycommsagency.com/?p=563Unless you work as a professional writer, proofreading probably crosses your mind as much as taking a space shuttle to Mars does. But, just because grammar and prose aren’t important to you – or in your job description – doesn’t mean they’re not worth your attention. After all, communication is paramount in every organization. How […]

]]>Unless you work as a professional writer, proofreading probably crosses your mind as much as taking a space shuttle to Mars does. But, just because grammar and prose aren’t important to you – or in your job description – doesn’t mean they’re not worth your attention.

After all, communication is paramount in every organization. How you communicate with your team members, customers, vendors and, yes, the public contributes to your company image and reputation. It also helps define your own personal brand as a leader and thought leader.

So even if pumping out content isn’t your daily M.O., proofreading needs to be. Here are three editing tips everyone should know, and implement, with every written document that you write or finds its way to your desk.

Never proofread on an island.

We mean this metaphorically, but it’s probably also a good idea to avoid editing documents on an actual island. After all, the Pina Coladas and dreamy ocean views are sure to interfere with your accuracy. But, we digress. What we actually mean is to make sure you don’t proofread your own writing yourself. This is a fast path to mistakes.

The reasoning is that you wrote that company memo you’re planning to share with your team, or that quote you’re going to give to a journalist. So when you go to re-read it, your brain has a tendency to skim through it. You know what you meant to write, so you unintentionally fill in the gaps or gloss over typos. It’s not just you, either; everyone does this.

So, step one to proofreading like a pro is to invite someone else to the party. Don’t let any written materials find their way into the ether without first making sure at least one other person has given it a read. The same goes for proofreading someone else’s work; the more eyeballs on it, the better.

Read it out loud and backward.

…and maybe while balancing on your head, for good measure. Just like our brains are quick to be forgiving when we read our own work, they also have a tendency to be like your mom and applaud every word you put on paper.

If you go through your own document with the intention of editing, your sentence flow is probably going to sound awesome. Your word choice? Incredible. The analogies you used in every other sentence? Yep, crushed those too. Reading something you wrote silently doesn’t get you anywhere with proofreading. You need to unlock the doors and let it out into the wild blue yonder in order to see it for what it really is.

So, first read it out loud. Of course, this works best if you’re in the privacy of your office or home, so you don’t get a lot of unwelcome stares. But that part is up to you. The key is that when you read something aloud, you can hear whether the sentence flow really works and whether any parts feel awkward or cumbersome.

Then, read it backward. Seriously. Start with the last sentence and then move to the previous one and so on until you get to the first sentence of the piece. It’ll feel weird, but it helps to keep your brain from filling in coherent sentences where there aren’t any and helps you identify errors more easily.

Be a style and accuracy detective.

Finally, to what style will your document need to adhere? If it’s anything press-facing or in the PR world, it must be written in AP style. If it’s a book, it’s usually expected to be Chicago style. If it’s for your company blog and no one cares about styles, then great! Enjoy the freedom. But just make sure you know if it is supposed to follow certain rules and if the answer is yes, that it actually does.

Side note: Your PR team should always check for AP style misses and a book editor would keep you on track with Chicago style tweaks, but you still would benefit from knowing the basics. It always helps if you understand some of the key stylistic components of the style you need to use. This way, you won’t be going back and forth on suggestions with your PR team and will understand why things should be written a certain way.

Also, zero in on numbers, stats and other hard figures like they’re clues to a mystery. Anything you cite should be fairly recent (within the past year ideally), and should credit the original source if possible. Make sure you’re citing the source and that anything you reference has been accurately captured. Otherwise, this damages your credibility and could even result in a not-so-friendly letter from some other company’s legal team (not likely, but it is possible).

So, there you have it. Practice these three proofreading tips and you’ll elevate your written work from passable to professional. Better yet, it will reinforce your brand’s reputation in a positive way and position you in the best possible light. Words have that power, and more.

]]>https://conveycommsagency.com/2020/05/25/3-proofreading-tips-everyone-should-know/feed/0How Podcasting Helps Influencer Relationshttps://conveycommsagency.com/2020/05/12/how-podcasting-helps-influencer-relations/
https://conveycommsagency.com/2020/05/12/how-podcasting-helps-influencer-relations/#respondTue, 12 May 2020 00:12:15 +0000https://conveycommsagency.com/?p=556Most B2B companies embrace content marketing as a means to amplify their story by leaps and bounds. Long gone are the days of the one and done blog post. Today, one great piece of content can (and should!) be repurposed in the form of infographics, social media posts, blogs and podcasts, to name a few. […]

]]>Most B2B companies embrace content marketing as a means to amplify their story by leaps and bounds. Long gone are the days of the one and done blog post. Today, one great piece of content can (and should!) be repurposed in the form of infographics, social media posts, blogs and podcasts, to name a few.

Podcasting, in particular, is among our favorite tools of content marketing. Many of our clients either host a podcast or actively participate as guests. But probably the biggest incentive for podcasting is that it can perform double duty as a pillar of your influencer relations strategy.

Think about it. If influencer relations calls for building relationships with those who are considered experts and have social influence in your field, and podcasting calls for reaching out to those very same people to invite on as guests, then we say it’s a match made in B2B heaven. Here’s more on how podcasting can support your efforts in influencer relations:

Podcasts help you make key connections with influencers

Whether you’re hosting a podcast or are a guest on one, podcasting gives you the opportunity to have thoughtful dialogues about issues at the forefront of your industry. When you and a guest (or you and the host) dive deep into the topic at hand, the conversation exposes you to the individuals and companies you want to gain traction with, while letting your personality and expertise shine.

Podcasting also works wonders as a means for getting your foot in the door with an influencer you’re targeting. It’s one thing to send a cold email to a rising industry leader asking to meet for lunch. No offense, but who has the time? But, send a podcast interview request to that same individual and there’s an excellent chance they’ll jump at the opportunity. On the flip side, if someone reaches out to you to be a guest, think about who will be hearing the interview. Podcasting opens doors to raise your profile as a thought leader, so you may share valuable information, grow your following and start building the long-term industry relationships you’re after.

Podcasts boost your position as an industry influencer

Say one big player in your industry acquires another, or a surprise new technology makes its debut. All it takes is scheduling an interview with a key influencer on the subject, and you can have a podcast up in a day! This benefits you in several ways. First, it gives you the opportunity to get the scoop early and dive into what the impact might be for your industry, training people in your industry to look for your insights when news breaks. Secondly, it strengthens your influencer relationships by giving them a platform to share their opinions and build a genuine rapport with you.

Remember, building trust among your growing following is an essential aspect of influencer relations –– delivering thoughtful, informative podcasts with your unique insights is one way to accomplish that. That’s because influencers are selective of who they build relationships and partnerships with. At the end of the day, your success in podcasting builds a bridge they’ll want to cross to reach more people.

Podcasting helps close important deals

It’s easy to assume the goal of podcasting is to get heard by the most people possible –– but popularity isn’t everything. Sure, big audiences are nice to have, but it shouldn’t be your top priority. Quality trumps quantity. It’s better to host a niche podcast that has a fraction of the audience if it’s the audience you actually need. As you’re strategizing topics and guests, you should be asking who the content is relevant to? Ideally this includes decision-makers and industry influencers.

A big part of success in podcasting means using it as a means to reach your business goals. Maybe that includes establishing a number of partnerships with key influencers, or treating it as a sales tool to address the pain points a prospective client has, and then sending them over the episode to listen to. Think of podcasting as a building block, or a stepping stone, to help take your relationships and your profile to the next level.

Bottom-line: your company needs to make the most of what it’s got going on in today’s competitive landscape. Especially with tight budgets and limited bandwidth right now, it’s so important that your efforts pay dividends. Eliminate the mindset of prioritizing a content marketing strategy or an influencer relations strategy, and instead embrace tactics like podcasting that will help you do both at the same time.

]]>https://conveycommsagency.com/2020/05/12/how-podcasting-helps-influencer-relations/feed/0Not Just an Ego Boost: Why Awards Matter in B2Bhttps://conveycommsagency.com/2019/08/17/not-just-an-ego-boost-why-awards-matter-in-b2b/
https://conveycommsagency.com/2019/08/17/not-just-an-ego-boost-why-awards-matter-in-b2b/#commentsSat, 17 Aug 2019 23:35:04 +0000https://conveycommsagency.com/?p=526Award programs can sometimes get a bad rap. Not only does it seem like there are a million of them, but submitting for them often means paying a fee and boasting to excess about your company’s or team members’ accomplishments. Many businesses aren’t comfortable with that and so they decide they don’t need the “ego […]

]]>Award programs can sometimes get a bad rap. Not only does it seem like there are a million of them, but submitting for them often means paying a fee and boasting to excess about your company’s or team members’ accomplishments. Many businesses aren’t comfortable with that and so they decide they don’t need the “ego boost.”

But, applying for – and winning – the right awards is much more than flattery. In fact, awards can actually do a lot for your business strategically. For B2B businesses in particular, which don’t always have as much opportunity to publicly shine, they can be downright important. Here are a few reasons why.

Credibility in the eyes of your buyers.

When a prospect comes to your website, they’re looking for differentiators. Awards can provide that. Think about when the owner of a small business goes looking for accounting software, and checks out multiple vendors, including you. Almost all of the websites say the same things, but one of them has several award badges prominently displayed. If that company won a “best customer service” award and a “best new accounting platform of the year” award, the small business owner is going to feel more confident about giving that vendor a try over the others.

You can also pursue specific awards to try to rectify a poor public perception. For example, your flagship product might have gotten a lot of bad press and subpar online reviews. But you’ve come out with a new version, and are eager to flip the script. Use this story and go after awards that will validate the intuitiveness, functionality and innovation of your product. In this way, you can use awards to change the public conversation around your business.

One final note about credibility: Not only does talking about and putting award badges on your website make you seem trustworthy in the eyes of customers, but award wins also often come with “free” PR. It’s not truly free, since you likely paid to submit your award, but it’s still a helpful added bonus. Depending on the program, you may get included in a press release, a feature story or see your company name appear on a website that gets a lot of relevant visitors.

Just getting in front of the judging panel can be the real win.

You may apply for awards, and not win them all (or any of them). But not all is lost. If you’re choosing the right awards, you should also be selecting them based on the caliber of their judging panels. Let’s say you have a new technology solution that is unlike anything else on the market, but you’re struggling to gain awareness.

If you find an awards program with a judging panel that includes a top tech writer, a principal at a highly trusted analyst firm and a venture capitalist who is known to invest in new technology, you’ve found a goldmine. Simply knowing that these individuals will review your application and learn about your company and product in the process paves the way for awareness and further connections down the road.

Value in recruitment.

Today’s job market is pretty hot, and good talent has a lot of leverage. You need to stand out from all the other companies who are trying to get the best people, the same ones that you want. Winning “best places to work” and “best culture” type awards go a long way in piquing the interest of top candidates. After all, would you rather work for an unknown company, or one that has clearly demonstrated its ability to go the extra mile and make its workplace attractive for employees? That’s an easy answer.

So as you think about how you can use PR strategically in your B2B business, we recommend giving awards some consideration. And if you need help figuring out which ones to pursue, and how to write a winning submission, we’d love to help.

]]>https://conveycommsagency.com/2019/08/17/not-just-an-ego-boost-why-awards-matter-in-b2b/feed/3Why PR & Sales Should Link Up More than you Might Thinkhttps://conveycommsagency.com/2019/08/17/why-pr-sales-should-link-up-more-than-you-might-think/
https://conveycommsagency.com/2019/08/17/why-pr-sales-should-link-up-more-than-you-might-think/#respondSat, 17 Aug 2019 23:30:17 +0000https://conveycommsagency.com/?p=523You’ve probably heard the argument for aligning your sales and marketing teams any number of times, but have you ever been told about the importance of aligning your sales and PR teams? I’d guess not. It’s not that most businesses are missing something glaringly obvious either; PR and sales just seem like two parts of […]

]]>You’ve probably heard the argument for aligning your sales and marketing teams any number of times, but have you ever been told about the importance of aligning your sales and PR teams? I’d guess not. It’s not that most businesses are missing something glaringly obvious either; PR and sales just seem like two parts of the same puzzle that make sense as part of the bigger picture but don’t exactly make sense sitting next to each other.

However, believe it or not, PR can do a lot to help sales – and vice versa. Here are a few of the key ways:

PR can give your sales team the backing they need to sell.

It’s been widely said that PR wins (commonly called “earned media”) carry a lot more weight in the eyes of buyers than advertising does. And it’s not hard to see why. Most savvy consumers can spot an ad a mile away (and therefore know it was purchased, not earned), while a contributed article or a piece of news shared in a well-respected publication demonstrates clout. PR wins aren’t easy to come by, and so they matter to your buyers.

Also, think about this… Not only does it look good and feel good to get award wins, speaking gigs, contributed articles and featured news, but it also solidifies your brand as a credible one. When you attract the attention and interest (and sometimes implied endorsement) of journalists, you immediately appear trustworthy and proven to your next prospect. And what could be more worthwhile than this type of image when your sales team starts engaging with them?

Sales can give PR an insider look at your buyers.

Buyers today are complex, and we’ve all had to learn the hard way that the sales cycle for most B2B companies is often long and arduous, involving multiple decision-makers along the way. But this process can be expedited, or at least made more smooth, if everyone on your team is using the right messaging and speaking to your target personas. This is where sales can really be an asset to PR.

Salespeople speak with customers and prospects day in and day out. They know their most common objections, motivations and even what makes them tick. By regularly speaking with the PR team, and sharing these deeper insights about your ideal customers, your PR team can tighten up your messaging and ensure all public-facing materials are in alignment.

PR can work wonders by providing the content sales needs at each stage of the buyer journey.

So, your star salesperson just lost a big sale. What happens next? If you want to improve your buyer journey, that salesperson should consider the following: 1) At what point did the sale go south? And 2) Was there some sort of content or piece of education they could have provided the prospect that would have helped prevent this outcome? Once they’ve figured out those answers, they should go talk with PR. Your PR folks are there to help you create the content you need to move your buyers through your funnel. So if there’s a piece of content you don’t have that you need, by all means let them know.

Also, if your sales team has found that some marketing collateral performs well in the sales process, like an ebook, PR can use that for further impact. They can help break that ebook into smaller, more consumable pieces of content and/or even place it in third-party publications as thought leadership. Your PR team can have a lot of influence throughout the buyer’s journey, so make sure they’re given what they need to be able to perform at their best – and then hold them accountable to do so.

Sales can inspire the right content topics for PR to run with.

It can be challenging to come up with creating, compelling content topics for a company’s blog, contributed articles, social media posts and beyond. But this is what PR people do, and your sales team can support them in this. After all, they have loads of on-point ideas in their heads just waiting to be unearthed.

Set up a conversation between your sales and PR teams, and ask the sales folks to chime in on what they hear at each stage of the buyer journey. Is pricing the one thing that your prospects seem to be concerned about across the board? Are you finding that you’re losing out to the same competitor time and time again, right before a deal closes? Do you hear from customers that your product is hard to use, and they would benefit from some more training?

Whatever conversations sales is having are important for PR to know about. They could very easily inspire some stellar content topics that can be used to proactively answer prospect’s questions, connect with current customers and let your audience know you understand what they’re going through.

Whether your sales and PR teams have been collaborating since day one, or you’re not even sure they know each other’s names, now is a great time to initiate – or strengthen – their bond. PR can – and should – be used throughout the sales process, and both departments have a lot to offer one another along the way. When all is said and done, PR and sales both have their eyes on the revenue prize, and will get there a whole lot faster together.

]]>https://conveycommsagency.com/2019/08/17/why-pr-sales-should-link-up-more-than-you-might-think/feed/05 Ways B2B Public Relations is Different than B2C…and More Difficulthttps://conveycommsagency.com/2019/08/17/5-ways-b2b-public-relations-is-different-than-b2c-and-more-difficult/
https://conveycommsagency.com/2019/08/17/5-ways-b2b-public-relations-is-different-than-b2c-and-more-difficult/#respondSat, 17 Aug 2019 23:23:25 +0000https://conveycommsagency.com/?p=512One of the things I love most about public relations is how diverse the profession is. My experience working mostly with Business-to-Business (B2B) technology companies varies dramatically from the glamorous (and extremely stressed) publicist representing a top celebrity. At least this is what I gather from many TV shows and movies. However, within technology and […]

]]>One of the things I love most about public relations is how diverse the profession is. My experience working mostly with Business-to-Business (B2B) technology companies varies dramatically from the glamorous (and extremely stressed) publicist representing a top celebrity. At least this is what I gather from many TV shows and movies.

However, within technology and the corporate/startup world there is one distinction that makes a big difference when it comes to public relations strategy, media outreach, and results: is the company you are working with B2B or business-to-consumer (B2C)? You might not think this makes that big of a difference, but as someone who has done both – I can tell you it does.

Proof of Concept B2B products are typically much more expensive, harder to implement, and harder to test. Journalists in the B2B space are far less interested in what is trendy and cool sounding. Sure, they want new – but with proof points about how customers are actually seeing value. A large company is not going to invest the money in something just because it sounds cool – where many consumers will (we are all guilty of this). Journalists know this and respect this fact. They know it all comes down to the results that the customer experiences using the product.

Number of customers (and journalists) Consumer products still need a defined target customer – but its still probably going to be millions (and millions) of people. Mothers, coffee drinkers, users of smartphones. For B2B companies, your pool of customers is going to be WAY less. AWS systems administrators, enterprises, service-based businesses with less than 5 employees. B2B companies typically have a much more hyper specific type of company they are targeting. This also means their tends to be less journalists covering this space, while still being tons and tons of startups competing for their attention.

“Going Viral”Sure, there are exceptions. But the concept of viral content doesn’t really exist in the B2B space. Articles about consumer products are naturally going to get more likes, comments, shares, and controversy. Partly because – see number 2 – there are just more people possibly affected by these products. But also businesses, and specifically possible buyers who actually care – are going to be more careful about what they say publicly that could possibly affect their professional life. Many tactics that B2C PR can rely on just won’t work with B2B.

Thought leadership Contributed articles, content, and thought leadership is important for most companies – but it is especially important in B2B. Contributed content has taken over and become a pillar of public relations. Connections and “who you know” in the B2B space is huge and people want to talk to people who they respect and contribute useful knowledge to their space.

I’ve worked with all types of companies in all types of industries, but I have a secret… I’m partial to the B2B world. Well, in the interest of full disclosure, I must note that B2B companies represent easily 80 percent of the clients I’ve worked with, so maybe I like them best because I know them best! But whatever the reason, I think B2B is the bee’s knees.

Some of the smartest people I’ve met run B2B businesses, and it’s mindblowing what I’ve been able to learn just by sitting by them (okay, and talking with them, writing for them and strategizing with them). But – the vast majority of these folks aren’t PR pros. That might be obvious, since they’ve hired the PR pros/us, but it’s something that agency folk can tend to forget.

Just as many of you in the B2B world must educate your customers about how – and why – to use your products or services, we PR people must also educate our customers. We can’t assume you know PR, and it’s our job to clearly delineate what our role is and what yours is. This helps decrease confusion, and increase productivity and success throughout our relationship.

To this end, here are four guidelines that will help you thrive as you engage with an agency.

1. If you disagree with, or don’t understand, something your agency recommends, ask for further information.

I was once working on a press release for a client. I sent over the draft, and they sent it back with minimal changes. Score! Except, I quickly realized they had changed almost all of my AP style formatting. Uh-oh. I made a few of their other requested edits, switched the entire press release back to AP style and sent it back to them. It came back to me – again – with everything AP style changed back to an inconsistent style I didn’t recognize.

This scenario would have been amusing, had it not wasted time on both sides. The problem wasn’t that my clients were trying to be difficult; they just didn’t understand AP style. In particular, they had a major problem with the fact that job titles (e.g. “vice president, marketing”) aren’t supposed to be capitalized in AP style (unless they’re acronyms, like CEO). They felt that their clients who were being quoted would see that their job titles weren’t capitalized, and would feel like we had messed up or weren’t giving due credit to their role in the company.

Once I was able to explain to them why AP style is important in something like a press release (because journalists expect it and won’t take you seriously if you don’t adhere to it), they were able to stop changing my edits and trust me.

The point here is: Always ask if you’re unsure about something. If you have suggestions for a piece of writing, but aren’t sure if there’s a grander purpose behind how your PR people wrote it in the first place, just ask. Aim to learn from your agency, rather than assume your way of writing is correct (even if it would be in your industry). This will save everyone a lot of time, and help you gain a deeper understanding into why things are done a certain way in PR.

2. We need your industry knowledge and expertise.

Let’s recap rule number one to be about trusting us to do the job you’ve hired us to do, and making sure to ask if something we’re doing doesn’t make sense to you. Then, rule number two is to make sure we’re leaning on you for the precise knowledge you have about your industry, products and services.

If your PR team has given you a messaging document that you’re not thrilled with, say so. Explain why they can’t substitute “channel” for “platform,” or whatever other word carries very specific meaning in your world. We know PR, but we need your guidance on all things related to your business and are eager to learn from you.

3. Understand the timing elements of PR, including deliverables, working with journalists and “rush jobs.”

PR can be tricky because there are often a lot of moving parts, and a lot of deadlines. As much as possible, your agency should plan to work on items as far ahead as they can so you’re not rushing around to finalize something unnecessarily. And this usually works well for contributed articles, awards, and speaking submissions.

But, if you’re working on a news announcement and trying to get the ear of a journalist, things will be moving at the speed of the light (ish). This can cause some harried excitement (okay, chaos) and the necessity for quick and/or after-hours responses, but it’s the nature of the beast due to publications’ deadlines and news cycles. Be ready to answer your PR team’s questions quickly (instantly isn’t too fast!), so they can relay your answers back to journalists. Being slow to respond to your PR people during a time that you’re trying to get coverage could mean the death of your coverage.

But, while on the subject, try to avoid too many rush jobs on your end. If you can at all avoid, or at least limit, the times you ask your agency to churn out a press release or article “ASAP,” please do. No one liked fire drills in school; they were unexpected and gave you a pit in your stomach. Fire drills from clients feel the same way, and worst of all, they also don’t give us ample time to do our best work, which really bums us out.

4. We want to support – and help you achieve – your goals.

Have you shared your organization’s overarching goals with your PR team? If not, there’s no time like the present! Every strategy – and then tactic – that we initiate should be directly connected to supporting your company’s business goals. For example, a client might say they want to apply for “Best Places to Work” awards… but then we find out they’re not hiring, nor do they plan to be hiring in the near future. In this case, spending time on awards that really help shine a light on your business for recruitment purposes is probably not the best use of our time.

On the flip side, let’s say you tell us you’re aiming to gain credibility in the market so you can ultimately get acquired. In this case, we’ll want to make sure every public-facing communication we launch is centered on demonstrating your growth, your potential and how viable your business is. The best way for us to support you is to know your goals, so please share them with us.

I hope this helps make your client/agency relationship a little more clear-cut and prepared to flourish. So now, it’s your turn! Do you have any tips for agencies? What do you love, and what do you wish PR teams would know or do differently? We’re all ears!